This is a post I made about seven years ago and it’s definitely one of my favorites. In fact, I happen to have everything on hand to treat myself with a cold bowl. It’s better than a smoothie, a salad, or soggy veggies, and fits perfectly into a “Blue Zones” way of eating.
I learned about Gazpacho when I first moved to California in 1960. It was a huge fad at that time, and I was knocked over by it! It’s been called everything, including “liquid salad,” but whatever you call it, it’s simply delicious!
This may seem like a summer-only dish to many of the mainlanders, but in California, and especially here in Hawai`i, we can eat it year-round.
The beauty of a healthy serving of Gazpacho is that you can put almost any kind of raw veggie into it. Take your pick from:
fresh tomatoes (about 2-3 pounds cut into quarters, skin and all)
cucumber
carrots
onion
bell peppers (I used a combination of orange, red, yellow baby bells)
garlic
hot pepper to taste (maybe a Jalepeño)
Zap it up in a blender or food processor with a dollop of good Extra Virgin Olive Oil until thick and chunky.
Store it in the fridge until it’s good and cold.
Ladle it into a bowl, top with crumbled feta and sprigs of cilantro.
To go with this, I like to serve a good loaf of crunchy rustic sourdough bread fresh from the oven, and maybe a glass of red wine?
Dig in!